


Dilemma

by duelmepharaoh (captain_indigo)



Series: Yugioh Shorts [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Angst, Choose Your Own Ending, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 02:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10867587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_indigo/pseuds/duelmepharaoh
Summary: di·lem·ma/dɪˈlɛm ə/Noun. A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.





	1. Defeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short "choose your own adventure" fic! There are links to each choice at the end of the chapters, or you can just use the chapter drop-down menu. Enjoy. :)

     "No way..."

 

Yugi rose from the table with a smirk.

 

     "No _way_! There's no way I could lose to you again!"

 

Yugi just shrugged and turned away. Mokuba slammed his fists on the table, sending a few stray figurines clattering to the floor.

 

     "I don't believe it! You must've cheated!"

 

The only answer was the flutter of Yugi's jacket and the click of the glass door swinging shut behind him.

 

     "Shit!" Mokuba swore, glaring down at the board with savage intensity. He had never looked more like his brother. He wasn't going to cry. He was going to get out of here, he was going to beat Yugi, and then maybe...maybe Niisama would finally...

 

     "Mokuba!"

 

He jumped at the sudden burst of noise from the viewscreens suspended above the battle box. "Niisama! Don't worry, I'll- "

 

     "Shut up, Mokuba. I'm done with your excuses. I'm tired of you and your pitiful expression hovering behind my shoulder. Didn't you learn anything from Gozaburo? You bet against me, Mokuba, and you lost. It's time to pay the price."

 

The first wisps of steam filtered into the box, and Mokuba's stomach dropped. _No. He wouldn't. Would he?_ The hissing continued, clouding the air around him. He couldn't see Yugi anymore, he could barely see the bright green of his brother's hair in the screens overhead.

 

     "No, Niisama! I know, I failed you, I lost our bet, I'm sorry, I'm so- " He choked, the thickening air and his shuddering heart making the room feel suffocating. "This isn't you! We used to be a team, remember? Just forget the game, it doesn't matter. We can crush Yugi together and go back to how things were!"

 

     "The game doesn't matter? Oh Mokuba, it's like you don't know me at all!" Kaiba's maniacal laughter echoed through the room. Mokuba felt like he was drowning. He saw a flicker out of the corner of his eye, and whipped around. Nothing. He saw another flicker, and this time he was sure there was something curling in and out of the clouds of steam. A great, toothy maw popped out directly in front of him, wreathed in flames. He could feel the heat coming off it, and jumped back in terror. _He wouldn't. No way._

 

     "Niisama?"

 

A tall creature with glimmering metal spikes protruding from its head popped into being off to his left. He kept backing up, heart pounding, hands searching fruitlessly behind him for the door he knew would be locked. A grey skeleton crawled up from an illusionary patch of earth, and Mokuba's nostrils were filled with the smell of rot. _It's only a hologram, it's only a hologram, it's only-_

 

The flaming dragon dove for him, shaking the battle box with its roar, and Mokuba screamed.

 

     " _Niisamaaaa!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Mokuba die or not? The next two chapters will be posted simultaneously (maybe tonight or tomorrow idk) so you can choose the ending you want. Also: I have never actually read the manga, so if I missed anything important please let me know, either here or on [tumblr](https://duelmepharaoh.tumblr.com).
> 
> Make your choice: [Ch 2: Save me, Niisama!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10867587/chapters/24190071) -or- [Ch 3: Save me, Yugi!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10867587/chapters/24190272)


	2. Save me, Niisama!

As Mokuba jumped frantically out of the dragon's way, he heard a voice from somewhere over his shoulder, muffled by the fog.

     "Mokuba, this way!"

Yugi? There was no way he was accepting help from that bastard. He was still the enemy. His only hope was to trust his brother. Seto had saved him from the orphanage, and taken the brunt of Gozaburo's cruelty, so he would definitely save Mokuba now. The skeletal creature had clawed its way free of the ground, and latched its bony fingers around Mokuba's ankle. He was trapped, but it didn't matter. As soon as Seto stopped the penalty game, Mokuba could explain that he'd learned his lesson, and they'd get those losers for real. The dragon took another dive, and Mokuba just barely managed to duck. He could smell where the fiery beast had singed his hair as it passed. He kicked frantically at the hand around his ankle. Any minute now, the simulation would end, any minute now...

     "Mokuba! Kaiba, stop this madness, he's your brother!"

Yugi's voice was more urgent now. Why was he so worried? Why did he care? More importantly, why hadn't Seto stopped the simulation yet? Was there really nothing left of the brother he remembered from their childhood? Even if he spared Mokuba this time, maybe all that was left was this cruel, unsmiling imitation.

Mokuba wasn't sure when he realized the truth. He knew only that one moment he was still waiting for his brother to smile, to care, to even look at him without those cold eyes, and the next moment he wasn't waiting at all. He could reach towards Yugi's voice, but if this was all that was left of his brother, then was it really worth it?

     "Goodbye, Niisama." He spoke almost in a whisper, but there was still a sharp intake of breath from somewhere outside the spinning fog. "I'm sorry."

* * *

     "There should've been no chance of you summoning Exodia! My Blue-Eyes was supposed to be invincible!"

Yugi's eyes bored into him, somehow darker and more alien than Kaiba remembered. How had he lost?

     "Kaiba, you brought this on yourself. Your heartlessness only makes you weak! You brought harm not only to my friends, but even to your own brother. I won't have any mercy on you after that!" Yugi's forehead glowed, and Kaiba gripped the edges of his chair. "Penalty game!"

The darkness settled around him like a thick blanket. The only light seemed to come from somewhere above him, but he didn't bother looking up to find its source. The puzzle was the only thing that mattered. He turned the pieces over and over in his hands. The feeling of Yugi shattering his heart still made him ache every time he thought about it. He decided not to think about it. He started arranging the pieces into piles. Where did he even start? There were vague memories of the orphanage, of his parents, of playing chess. There was a furious drive to protect the person he cared about most. There was a Blue-Eyes card, drawn messily in crayon. There was a determination never to back down from a challenge, or give up on something he wanted, but that piece's edges were less sharp, and it didn't burn at his touch. Why did this all seem so alien? Had he really become so different? Everything since he had taken over Kaiba Corp seemed so blurry and far-off here. If he believed Yugi, this was a chance to rebuild himself as he wanted, into someone other than the person his step-father had created him to be. Kaiba reached for two of the pieces, fitting them together with a soft click. Did he believe he was better than Gozaburo at any conceivable endeavor? Obviously. Then could he make himself into a stronger person without that old man's lessons? Of course. Kaiba reached for another piece. Then another.

Time passed. With nothing else to do, Kaiba's focus on the puzzle was absolute. He heard whispers around him occasionally. He mostly ignored them, only looking up briefly when he heard one that sounded like Yugi. Why was he here? Well, no matter. Once he woke up, a rematch would be the first thing to take care of. He turned the golden orb over and over in his hands. He'd fit all the pieces together, but there was still a small gap, a little dark place where something was supposed to be. Where was the last piece? Had Yugi made this penalty game impossible to win, or was there something he was missing? Something vital to completing he heart, but something he couldn't get from within himself. He looked up from the heart in his hands, eyes straining towards the light above him. Mokuba. How could he have forgotten? Something flickered at the edges of his memory, but he brushed it aside. He just had to wake up and find Mokuba, and then the puzzle of himself would be complete.

* * *

     "Where is he?" Kaiba barked, his voice cracking from disuse. His doctors glanced at each other nervously. "Did I stutter?"

One of them cleared her throat. "How much do you remember from before your...accident, Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to think back. "I was... no, Mokuba tried to defeat Yugi, then I dueled Yugi, then that bastard put me in a coma. That's about all. How long have I been out?"

     "About six months, Mr. Kaiba."

     "Very well. Get me my laptop, I'm sure Kaiba Corp has gone to hell in my absence. And you still haven't answered my question. Where is my brother?" The doctors started squirming again under his glare.

     "Well, we believe Mr. Mutou was the last to see him, perhaps he would be able to answer your questions?" Kaiba frowned. There was definitely something they weren't telling him.

     "Hmph. Where is that loser, anyway?" He squinted at the screen in front of him, his scowl deepening. "Never mind. Damn Pegasus. Get out, the lot of you. No, wait. Someone get me a helicopter. And please tell me those idiots in R&D managed to complete the new duel disks while I was out?"

     "Ah, Mr. Kaiba, do you think that's wise? You may still be suffering ill effects from..." The doctor trailed off, gulping at the young man's expression. "Yes sir."

* * *

As he dropped gracefully from the helicopter's rope ladder, he could see them all sitting up from their sleeping bags, trying to shield their faces from the turbulence.

     "Yugi!" If Kaiba had been a lesser person, he might've felt like a bug under a microscope. Yugi's face was scrunched up in some unreadable expression. The mutt and his pointy-haired sidekick were glaring at him with open hatred, and even little miss friendship's face was like ice. Well, he had tried to kill them. He wasn't sure why anymore, but it must've made sense at the time.

     "Hello, Kaiba. So you finally woke up? We- I mean I wasn't sure if you- " Yugi fumbled, trying to be polite.

     "Of course. No puzzle is unsolvable for Seto Kaiba. Now speaking of. Where is Mokuba?"

     "Where's Mokuba? Are you for real? Ya fuckin- ooof!" Jounouchi was interrupted by Yugi's elbow in his gut.

     "You really don't remember what happened?" Yugi asked softly.

     "If I did, I would be dueling Pegasus into the ground and getting my company back, not chatting with you losers."

Yugi bit his lip, staring up at the grey, pre-dawn sky. Finally he appeared to come to a decision. "Stay here guys. I'll talk to him."

     "No way Yuge! The last time you were alone with him he tried to kill ya!"

     "This is different. He's different. I think. We won't go far, I know I can count on you guys to come running if you hear screams," he joked halfheartedly, trying to lighten the mood.

     "Yugi, I'm not an infant, I don't need you to take me on a walk just to tell me where my goddamn brother is!"

Yugi didn't bother to reply, or even see if Kaiba was following, as he turned and started walking a little ways down the trail. Kaiba opened his mouth to argue, but finally strode after him, away from the group. Yugi's hair fluttered a little, even though the air was still, and he stood much taller as he turned back to face Kaiba.

     "So what _do_ you remember?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Mokuba lost to you, I dueled you, you somehow put me coma, I had some bizarre dreams, and here we are. Now are you going to tell me where he is, or am I going to have to duel it out of you? Not that I'd be opposed, if I had the time." Had he really only been out for six months? He didn't remember Yugi looking this imposing.

     "So you remember me beating Mokuba."

     "Yes."

     "And you remember what the penalty was for losing that particular game?"

     "Yes, yes, something about experiencing death. Is there a point to this?"

     "And you don't remember subjecting your little brother to that experience?"

Kaiba froze. "I...no. I wouldn't. I would never do that. You're lying."

     "You wouldn't do that _now_ ," Yugi corrected. "Back then...I think I recall something about victory or death?"

Kaiba rubbed his eyes in frustration. This was ridiculous. Why was Yugi saying these things? He'd just have to figure out what happened on his own. Mokuba had lost, that much he was sure of. He'd told Yugi where to meet him for their duel. Then...right. He'd turned on the holograms, just for a moment, to teach Mokuba a lesson about biting off more than he could chew. Just for a moment. And then he'd turned them off. He had. Right? Suddenly he felt the buttons under his fingertips, he saw the battle box filling with smoke on his screen, he heard Mokuba scream his name, and then... Nothing. He vaguely felt his knees hit the ground.

     "I didn't turn- " he paused, struggling to fill his lungs. "I didn't turn them off." He thought he felt something crack sharply under his breastbone. "I k- killed...I...just sat there and watched him d- " It didn't feel real. Kaiba stared blankly at the ground, hands limp and twitching slightly where they rested on his legs. No, he knew the difference between memory and delusion. He could still hear that scream ringing in his ears. "Why did I..." He looked up at Yugi again, needing to hear that it was a cruel joke, that he was still in a coma, or even that he was dead himself. _Anything but this_.

     "Get up."

Finally realizing his position, Kaiba managed to stagger to his feet. "This was _your_ fault! If you hadn't beaten him, I wouldn't have had to- I would never have- " His words sounded hollow, even as they left his mouth.

     "You're wrong," and the pity in Yugi's voice was like poison in Kaiba's veins. "You did this. You will have to find a way to bear it. This darkness is not one that I can cure." He turned to leave, and was struck by an odd sense of deja vu. He almost felt as though he should reach out his hand to this Kaiba as well. Then he remembered Mokuba screaming, and the guns at their backs. He kept walking, the light of his friends' campfire drawing him back out of the shadowy trees.

     "Goodbye, Seto Kaiba."

 

**\- END -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to read the other choice? [Save me, Yugi!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10867587/chapters/24190272)


	3. Save me, Yugi!

As Mokuba jumped frantically out of the dragon's way, he heard a voice from somewhere over his shoulder, muffled by the fog.

     "Mokuba, this way!"

Yugi? There was no way he was accepting help from that bastard. He was still the enemy. His only hope was to trust his brother. Seto had saved him from the orphanage, and taken the brunt of Gozaburo's cruelty, so he would definitely save Mokuba now. The skeletal creature had clawed its way free of the ground, and latched its bony fingers around Mokuba's ankle. He was trapped, but it didn't matter. As soon as Seto stopped the penalty game, Mokuba could explain that he'd learned his lesson, and they'd get those losers for real. The dragon took another dive, and Mokuba just barely managed to duck. He could smell where the fiery beast had singed his hair as it passed. He kicked frantically at the hand around his ankle. Any minute now, the simulation would end, any minute now...

     "Mokuba! Kaiba, stop this madness, he's your brother!"

Yugi's voice was more urgent now. Why was he so worried? Why did he care? More importantly, why hadn't Seto stopped the simulation yet? Was there really nothing left of the brother he remembered from their childhood? Even if he spared Mokuba this time, maybe all that was left was this cruel, unsmiling imitation.

Mokuba wasn't sure when he realized the truth. He knew only that one moment he was still waiting for his brother to smile, to care, to even look at him without those cold eyes, and the next moment he wasn't waiting at all. He could reach towards Yugi's voice, but if this was all that was left of his brother, then was it really worth it?

     "Goodbye, Niisama." He spoke almost in a whisper, but there was still a sharp intake of breath from somewhere outside the spinning fog. "I'm sorry." His face dropped into his hands, but just as the monsters converged on him, he felt a hand grip the back of his collar, and he was yanked backwards. His back hit the cold metal floor outside the battle box, knocking the wind out of him.

     "Mokuba! Are you injured?"

He stared blearily up at Yugi, gasping for air. "You saved me?"

Yugi sighed with relief. He had no love for the Kaiba brothers after all this, but that didn't mean he was ready to watch a child die. "Whatever your brother may tell you, Mokuba, losing a game does not have to be the end."

* * *

     "There should've been no chance of you summoning Exodia! My Blue-Eyes was supposed to be invincible!"

Yugi's eyes bored into him, somehow darker and more alien than Kaiba remembered. How had he lost?

     "Kaiba, you brought this on yourself. Your heartlessness only makes you weak! You brought harm not only to my friends, but even nearly killed your own brother. I won't have any mercy on you after that!" Yugi's forehead glowed, and Kaiba gripped the edges of his chair. "Penalty game!"

The darkness settled around him like a thick blanket. The only light seemed to come from somewhere above him, but he didn't bother looking up to find its source. The puzzle was the only thing that mattered. He turned the pieces over and over in his hands. The feeling of Yugi shattering his heart still made him ache every time he thought about it. He decided not to think about it. He started arranging the pieces into piles. Where did he even start? There were vague memories of the orphanage, of his parents, of playing chess. There was a furious drive to protect the person he cared about most. There was a Blue-Eyes card, drawn messily in crayon. There was a determination never to back down from a challenge, or give up on something he wanted, but that piece's edges were less sharp, and it didn't burn at his touch. Why did this all seem so alien? Had he really become so different? Everything since he had taken over Kaiba Corp seemed so blurry and far-off here. If he believed Yugi, this was a chance to rebuild himself as he wanted, into someone other than the person his step-father had created him to be. Kaiba reached for two of the pieces, fitting them together with a soft click. Did he believe he was better than Gozaburo at any conceivable endeavor? Obviously. Then could he make himself into a stronger person without that old man's lessons? Of course. Kaiba reached for another piece. Then another.

Time passed. With nothing else to do, Kaiba's focus on the puzzle was absolute. He heard whispers around him occasionally. He mostly ignored them, only looking up briefly when he heard one that sounded like Yugi. Why was he here? Well, no matter. Once he woke up, a rematch would be the first thing to take care of. He turned the golden orb over and over in his hands. He'd fit all the pieces together, but there was still a small gap. Where was the last piece? Had Yugi made this penalty game impossible to win, or was there something he was missing? Something vital to completing he heart, but something he couldn't get from within himself. He looked up from the heart in his hands, eyes straining towards the light above him. Mokuba. How could he have forgotten? He just had to wake up and find Mokuba, and then the puzzle of himself would be complete.

* * *

     "Where is he?" Kaiba barked, his voice cracking from disuse. His doctors glanced at each other nervously. "Did I stutter?"

One of them cleared her throat. "We're delighted to see you awake, Mr. Kaiba. Do you remember what happened?"

Kaiba rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to think back. "I was... no, Mokuba tried to beat Yugi, then I dueled Yugi, then that bastard put me in a coma. That's about all. How long have I been out?"

     "About six months, Mr. Kaiba."

     "Very well. Get me my laptop, I'm sure Kaiba Corp has gone to hell in my absence. And you still haven't answered my question. Where is my brother?" The doctors started squirming again under his glare.

     "Well, we believe Mr. Mutou was the last to see him, perhaps he would be able to answer your questions?" Kaiba frowned. There was definitely something they weren't telling him. "Hmph. Where is that loser, anyway?" He squinted at the screen in front of him, his scowl deepening. "Never mind. Damn Pegasus. Get out, the lot of you. No, wait. Someone prepare me a helicopter. And please tell me those idiots in R&D managed to complete the new duel disks while I was out?"

     "Ah, Mr. Kaiba, do you think that's wise? You may still be suffering ill effects from..." The doctor trailed off, gulping at the young man's expression. "Yes sir."

Kaiba got carefully to his feet, untangling himself from wires and tubes with the help of some terrified nurse. "Stop treating me like glass, I have no time for this!" he barked at the poor man. At least it made him move faster. If Pegasus was trying to use Mokuba for leverage, and Yugi was really on the same island, there was no reason he couldn't kill two birds with one stone.

* * *

     "Kaiba, stop! You'll fall!"

     "Nah, don't worry Anzu. The asshole's just bluffing. Don't fall for it Yuge!"

Yugi gritted his teeth, staring past the rapidly disintegrating Blue-Eyes. Kaiba didn't look like he was bluffing.

     "What are you waiting for, Yugi? The mutt says I'm bluffing, so make your attack!"

_Other me, don't! You can't risk it!_

_What about your grandpa? We must save him!_

_We'll just find another way!_

_But partner..._

     "Well, Yugi? Does this mean I win?"

     "Not on your life, Kaiba! Go, Celtic Guardian!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to read the other choice?   
> [Save me, Niisama!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10867587/chapters/24190071)
> 
> There will be one more choice for you to make, so two more little chapters coming soon. :)


End file.
